"That you can never do!" and the beautiful girl proudly faced the woman with such an undaunted air and look that she involuntarily quailed before her. "It is my nature," she went on, after a slight pause, "to be gentle and yielding in all things reasonable, and when I am kindly treated; but injustice and treachery, such as you have been guilty of, always arouse within me a spirit which a thousand like you and your brother could never bend nor break."
"Do not be too sure, my pretty young Tartar," retorted madam, with a disagreeable sneer.
"I rejected Monsieur Correlli"s proposals to me some weeks ago," Edith resumed, without heeding the rude interruption. "I made him clearly understand, and you also, that I could never marry him. You appeared to accept the situation only to scheme for my ruin; but, even though you have tricked me into compromising myself in the presence of many witnesses, it was only a trick, and therefore no legal marriage. At least I do not regard myself as morally bound; and, as I have said before, I shall appeal to the courts to annul whatever tie there may be supposed to exist. This is my irrevocable decision--nothing can change it--nothing will ever swerve me a hair"s breadth from it. Go tell your brother, and then let me alone--I will never renew the subject with either of you."
And as Edith ceased she turned her resolute face to the window, and Anna G.o.ddard knew that she had meant every word that she had uttered.
She was amazed by this show of spirit and decision.
The girl had always been a perfect model of gentleness and kindness, ready to do whatever was required of her, obliging and invariably sweet-tempered.
She could hardly realize that the cold, determined, defiant, undaunted sentences to which she had just listened could have fallen from the lips of the mild, quiet Edith whom she had hitherto known.
But, as may be imagined, such an att.i.tude from one who had been a servant to her was not calculated to soothe her ruffled feelings, and after the first flash of astonishment, anger got the better of her.
"Do you imagine you can defy us thus?" she cried, laying an almost brutal grip upon the girl"s arm, as she arose to abandon, for the time, her apparently fruitless task. "No, indeed! You will find to your cost that you have stronger wills than your own to cope with."
With these hot words, Anna G.o.ddard swept angrily from the room, leaving her victim alone.
CHAPTER XIX.
"I WILL NEVER BREAK BREAD WITH YOU, AT ANY TABLE."
As the door closed after the angry and baffled woman, the portly form of the housekeeper entered the room from an apartment adjoining, where, as had been previously arranged between Edith and herself, she had been stationed to overhear the whole of the foregoing conversation.
"What can I do?" sighed the young girl, wearily, and lifting an anxious glance to her companion; for, in spite of her apparent calmness throughout the recent interview, it had been a terrible strain upon her already shattered nerves.
"Nothing just yet, dear, but to try and get well and strong as soon as possible," cheerfully responded Mrs. Weld.
"Did you hear how she threatened me?"
"Yes, but her threats were only so many idle words--they cannot harm you; you need not fear them."
"But I do; somehow, I am impressed that they are plotting even greater wrongs against me," sighed Edith, who, now that the necessity of preserving a bold front was pa.s.sed, seemed to lose her courage.
"They will not dare--" began Mrs. Weld, with some excitement. Then, suddenly checking herself, she added, soothingly: "But do not worry any more about it now, child--you never need "cross a bridge until you come it." Lie down and rest a while; it will do you good, and maybe you will catch a little nap, while I go down to see that everything is moving smoothly in the dining-room and kitchen."
Edith was only too willing to heed this sensible advice, and, shortly after the housekeeper"s departure, fell into a restful sleep.
She did not awake until it was nearly dark, when, feeling much refreshed, she arose and dressed herself resolving that she would not trouble tired Mrs. Weld to bring up her dinner, but go downstairs and have it with her, as usual.
The house was very quiet, for, all the guests having gone, there was only the family and the servants in the house.
Edith remained in her room until she heard the dinner-bell ring, when she went to the door to listen for Mr. and Mrs. G.o.ddard and Emil Correlli to go down, before she ventured forth, for she had a special object in view.
Presently she heard them enter the dining-room, whereupon she stole softly down after them and slipped into the library in search of the daily papers.
She found one, the _Transcript_, and then hurried back to her room, lighted the gas, and sat down to read.
Immediately a low cry of dismay burst from her, for the first thing that caught her eye were some conspicuous head-lines announcing:
"A STARTLING SURPRISE IN HIGH LIFE."
These were followed by a vivid description of the festivities at the G.o.ddard mansion in Wyoming, on the previous evening, mentioning the "unique and original drama," which had wound up with "the great surprise" in the form of a "_bona fide_" marriage between the brother of the beautiful and accomplished hostess, Mrs. G.o.ddard, and a lovely girl to whom the gentleman had long been attached, and whom he had taken this opportune and very novel way of introducing to his friends and society in general.
Then there followed a _resume_ of the play, giving the names of the various actors, an account of the fine scenery and brilliant costumes, etc.
The appearance of the masked bride and groom was then enlarged upon, an accurate description of the bride"s elegant dress given, and a most flattering mention made of her beauty and grace, together with the perfect dignity and repose of manner with which she bore her introduction to the many friends of her husband during the reception that followed immediately after the ceremony.
No mention was made of her having fainted afterward, and the article concluded with a flattering tribute to the host and hostess for the success of their "Winter Frolic," which ended so delightfully in the brilliant and long-to-be-remembered ball.
Edith"s face was full of pain and indignation after reading this sensational account.
She was sure that the affair had been written up by either madam or her brother, for the express purpose of bringing her more conspicuously before the public, and with the intention of fastening more securely the chain that bound her to the villain who had so wronged her.
"Oh, it is a plot worthy to be placed on record with the intrigues of the Court of France during the reign of Louis the Thirteenth and Richelieu!" Edith exclaimed. "But in this instance they have mistaken the character of their victim," she continued, throwing back her proud little head with an air of defiance, "for I will never yield to them; I will never acknowledge, by word or act, the tie which they claim binds me to him, and I will leave no effort untried to break it.
Heavens! what a daring, what an atrocious wrong it was!" she exclaimed, with a shudder of repugnance; "and I am afraid that, aside from my own statements, I cannot bring one single fact to prove a charge of fraud against either of them."
She fell into a painful reverie, mechanically folding the paper as she sat rocking slowly back and forth trying to think of some way of escape from her unhappy situation.
But, at last, knowing that it was about time for Mrs. Weld to have her dinner, she arose to go down to join her.
As she did so the paper slipped from her hands to the floor.
She stooped to pick it up when an item headed, in large letters "Personal" caught her eye.
Without imagining that it could have any special interest for her, she glanced in an aimless way over it.
Suddenly every nerve was electrified.
"What is this?" she exclaimed, and read the paragraph again.
The following was the import of it:
"If Miss Allandale, who disappeared so suddenly from New York, on the 13th of last December, will call upon or send her address to Bryant & Co., Attorneys, No. ---- Broadway, she will learn of something greatly to her advantage in a financial way."
"How very strange! What can it mean?" murmured the astonished girl, the rich color mounting to her brow as she realized that Royal Bryant must have inserted this "personal" in the paper in the hope that it would meet her eye.
"Who in the world is there to feel interested in me or my financial condition?" she continued, with a look of perplexity.
At first it occurred to her that Mr. Bryant might have taken this way to ascertain where she was from personal motives; but she soon discarded this thought, telling herself that he would never be guilty of practicing deception in any way to gain his ends. If he had simply desired her address he would have asked for that alone without the promise of any pecuniary reward.
She stood thinking the matter over for several moments.
At last her face cleared and a look of resolution flashed into her eyes.